Uncharted and Overgrown
by SkyyeStrike
Summary: Sasuke's leaving... again. Naruto is thrown into a confused chaos when he realized that Sasuke might not be coming back... But what if Sasuke leaves him with something? Three-shot
1. One Foot on the Ground

_I never loved nobody fully,_

_always one foot on the ground._

_And by protecting my heart truely,_

_I got lost,_

_in the sounds..._

* * *

><p>"I'm leaving."<p>

Naruto paused in his rant and turned to look at Sasuke against the backdrop of rain outside, confusion muddling his features. "You're what?"

"Leaving, dobe. I'm leaving." Sasuke's face was level and composed, completely schooled into the casual, indifferent, slightly frustrated expression he always wore.

Naruto blinked, then relaxed a little, realization coming to him. "Oh, you mean a mission. Did we get a new one already from Granny Tsunade?" He asked, leaning on the doorframe to his apartment. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on one foot before quietly shaking his head.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, then-"

"_We _didn't get a mission, I did. Solo." He said in that slow, almost mocking tone he used when he thought Naruto wasn't '_getting it through his thick skull_,' as he usually put it, and for a second Naruto thought to be offended before he focused in on the last word that lay suspended in the air.

"So…lo?" He asked. Sasuke on a solo mission? He couldn't. The elders said that an ex-convict couldn't be allowed outside of the village except on a _team_ mission. Sasuke couldn't go outside more than a ten-mile radius of the village without another leaf shinobi with him.

Panic flared quickly, and Naruto felt his eyes widen before Sasuke waved a familiar looking sheet of paper in front of him.

"Mission. I'm not abandoning the village." _'Again'_ hung in the air and Naruto bit his lip. It still didn't seem right, and it was making him uneasy. He tried to gauge calculating black eyes, trying to figure out an ulterior motive.

"I'm coming with." He blurted out quickly and reached inside the door and grabbed his jacket from where it had been slung carelessly over a chair, coming back and making sure Sasuke hadn't left yet. But Sasuke just wore an amused expression on his face, head tipped to the side and his still dripping black bangs falling gently across his cheek and sticking to his skin as he watched Naruto stuff his arm in one of the orange and black sleeves.

"No you're not." He said quietly. It was something so assured, something not even in question that Naruto already knew he wouldn't be able to change Sasuke's mind. The panic began to escalate. This was too much like the first time. Too much like the Valley of the End. Sasuke couldn't leave. Not without him.

"I sure as hell am-" Sasuke's hand slammed into the doorframe beside Naruto's head and Naruto glared at Sasuke who was now boxing him in to his apartment, a feral-like growl tingling at the back of his throat. "Move."

"You're not coming with me. Solo mission."

"I am, and you can't stop me."

"You can't follow you or you'd be considered a rouge Nin."

"I can by lenience of Granny Tsunade, now let me the fuck through."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his lips tightening. Naruto saw his grip on the doorjamb tighten to a white-knuckled embrace, the wood creaking in protest, and Naruto grit his jaw, determined not to back down from the burning coal eyes.

"Why would you even come tell me if you didn't want me to come along with you?" Naruto asked. Sasuke wouldn't have told him unless he had wanted something first, and if accompaniment wasn't it, Naruto wasn't sure what he expected. What he didn't quite expect to see Sasuke's eyelids lower and his gaze shift from Naruto's blue eyes to just past his shoulder, almost as if ashamed.

"I just came to say goodbye." He said, plainly and simply, and Naruto wanted to pretend he didn't hear the nearly inaudible strain in Sasuke's voice.

"You make it sound like you won't come back again."

Silence.

"…You said you weren't abandoning the village."

"I'm not."

"THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING GOODBYE?" Naruto couldn't stop the explosion that erupted from him, and he nearly jumped out of his own skin at the suddenness of it. Sasuke didn't seem phased, and he turned pitch black eyes back to Naruto.

"Because I'm not sure what's going to happen."

It was in a ninja's job description to show no emotion. It was expected that comrades would fall, missions would fail, teams would be torn apart by moles and double agents. It was nearly a given in many ways, but to hear Sasuke really acknowledge that chance was like being slammed into a brick wall. Sasuke, who was so good at everything, always one step ahead and prepared for anything that was thrown at him, was admitting his mortality in a way that Naruto wished he had never heard.

"Why won't you let me come?" Naruto said after a while. Sasuke gave a huff.

"Because it's and S-rank criminal, and someone only I can deal with." When Naruto opened his mouth, Sasuke sent him a glare. "Alone."

Naruto tapped his foot and measured Sasuke up and down, ignoring the muttered, "Don't hurt yourself, dobe," as he thought. Then he leaned forward, gripped the collar of Sasuke's mission cloak and jerked him forward. "You'd better not die." He growled, fingernails digging into the tawny fabric.

Sasuke blinked, their faces barely an inch apart. His breath whisked over Naruto's face, warm and strangely sharp, like mint. He gave a haughty smirk. "Don't worry, I'm not you." He quipped, but Naruto didn't smile.

"You have to come back alive, and when you do, I'm going to be waiting right here, and I'm going to whoop your ass." Naruto ground out, sky blue eyes trying to see past the inky depths and down into the bottomless pits of Sasuke's own eyes. Sasuke's face turned away from its arrogant smirk.

"Why do you even care that much?" It was said in an almost bitter way, and Naruto couldn't help but flinch, the fist that was keeping Sasuke near him dragged him down closer.

"Why won't you let me care?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly. Sasuke didn't say anything. "You have to come back, and you definitely can't lie. You can't throw your life away, and you can't just leave. Not anymore." Naruto paused like he was looking for something in Sasuke's pale, impassive face. "Promise." He ground out. When Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto shook him, growing angry again. "Promise!"

Sasuke's jaw flexed and Naruto felt an arm snake itself around his waist and he jerked, anger dissipating into surprise. "Sasuke, you-"

"I love you."

It was so quiet that Naruto didn't think he had heard it right. It could have been the rain that was beating outside of the overhang they were protected by, of the wind rattling the shaky window in Naruto's kitchen.

"Uh... I… I love you too? Sakura-chan too, and Sai, and Kakashi-sensei-"

"So there shouldn't be a problem." Sasuke pulled back slightly and Naruto felt himself being plunged into confusion once again. Sasuke was so close, his eyes were so black.

"What's that supposed to…" Naruto felt himself getting distracted. Sasuke just kept leaning closer and Naruto felt alarm bells begin to ring in the back of his head, something clicking into place but not surfacing in his mind. "Wai-"

Sasuke tasted like he smelled. Sharp and like mint. Not quite expected, but suitable for him in many ways that made Naruto want to curve into the hard shape of Sasuke's body. His lips were thin, if slightly chapped and a bit cold, and they were harsh in their punishment. Naruto's eyes were sliding shut on their own accord, and he was torn between keeping his eyes open and trying to take in every inch of Sasuke's face or letting them close and surrendering to the mind-numbing touch of their lips.

And then it just… ended. Sasuke's arm retracted, along with the smell of mint and the crushing mouth. There was a whispered 'Goodbye' and a whoosh accompanied by a few wisps of smoke, and then it was just Naruto, standing in the doorway, staring out at the rain and unable to do anything.

Naruto touched his bottom lip quietly, his mouth tingling. Had Sasuke just kissed him? He leaned against the door-hinges, not caring as the iron dug through his shirt and into his arm. His jacket had slid to the floor at some-point, lying abandoned in an orange and black mess. Everything seemed jumbled and slightly askew, and all Naruto could do was just stand, confused and alone, unable to move and unable to breath.

"... Fucking Bastard!"

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><p><strong>... Don't kill me? *dodges thrown pan* Enjoy the SasuNaru! It's a giftapology/tribute! *dodges thrown cat***

**I am so so so so so sorry about the lack of updates on my part for everything I need to do... . I'm a bad person -.-' I promise I'll try and be more productive, I swear it, just please please forgive me and accept this sacrifice! *offers up SasuNaru short***

**I'm sorry it's kind of depressing, but it won't be depressing when I'm done. I think it will be a three-shot, four at most, and two at least, but I'm just making sure you all know that I'm not just going to leave you hanging (like I have been with all my other stories.) XD Rating might also go up for a future lemon or lime of citrusy goodness... **

**Song: _Fidelity - Regina Spektor_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and all that stuff... tada...**


	2. Suppose I Never Met You

_-xox-_

_Suppose I never ever met you._

_Suppose we never fell in love._

_Suppose I'd never ever let you_

_Kiss me so sweet,_

_ and so soft._

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><p>Sasuke was moving fast, heart thrumming in his chest as he blinked rain-water from his eyes, greenery rushing past in emerald and jade blurs. Personally, he couldn't quite believe that he'd actually done it. It came more as a bitter triumph in his taste, but still a triumph and one he couldn't help but grin at.<p>

He was also guarenteed a punch in the jaw from Naruto for this latest stunt.

His feet hit a branch the wrong way and water was dumped from branches overhead in bucketfuls, jolting him back to the present at hand. Sasuke's grin faltered slightly and he felt the crease that usually formed between his eyebrows furrowing once again. Even with this triumph, dark thoughts seemed to always be seeping into his mind, invading the calm blankness that had settle since he had started out.

Itachi. That was all Tsunade-sama had needed to say to catch his attention. The dread had been tangible, curling like poison in his stomach and up to his throat. Only a few hours back from a team mission and he was being sent away on what could only be considered a suicide mission. The white sheet of paper that was safely tucked away inside Sasuke's shirt next to his skin seemed to be burning a hole in the cloth.

Find him, kill him, or die trying. That was the mission. And as thrilling as it was to be on his own for the first time in almost a year now, the first thought Sasuke had when he received the paper was of Naruto. He would try to come with, no doubt. He would swear and he would be angry, and all in all, it would have been better not to tell him at all, but somehow, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to do it.

Sasuke came to a stop, using chakra to brace his feet on the slippery bark of an oak, his breath puffing out in clouds into the damp air. Naruto's lips had been so soft and so warm… His fingers had been calloused, his expression the stupid, dumb look he gave when he was surprised.

Sasuke's face turned to the sky, looking up at the dark green leaves of summer. The rain had faded from it's original downpour into more of a drizzle, but it was steadily trying to soak through Sasuke's mission cloak. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he's been holding in a sigh, tilting his face toward a nearby pine tree but not quite looking at it.

"How long are you going to follow me?" He asked, just loud enough to carry but quite enough not to alert any enemies nearby.

The branches rustled slightly and Kakashi landed on a branch in plain sight, eye uplifted in faint amusement and slight boredom. He eyed Sasuke before leaning against the tree.

"When did you notice?" He asked, reaching behind him to tug a familiar looking book from beneath his own cloak.

"Five meters outside the gates." Sasuke said. He looked down at his hands and tried to flex some of the growing numbness from them. He flipped them over and looked at some of the silvery thin scars that lined them. "Still won't let me leave without babysitting, huh." He murmured.

"Well it can't be considered babysitting if the Council didn't send me." Kakashi replied and smiled at the sharp look Sasuke sent his way.

"You followed me of your own volition?" He said accusingly, distrust brimming his eyes. His answer was an increased smile and the book coming up to cover half of Kakashi's face.

Sasuke snorted. "I'm done here." He turned to leave but was stopped by a playful: "You'd better come back for him."

Sasuke froze, legs braced already to launch himself to the next branch and blinked.

"Naruto. You really didn't think I didn't know, right?"

Sasuke's icy gaze turned back to Kakashi, distrust becoming fury in an instant, and Kakashi's eyes flickered up from whatever page he was reading and pierced Sasuke. "Or are you angry that you didn't detect your presence while you were there?"

"Goddamn motherf-" Sasuke started to draw his katana. Kakashi had been eaveszdropping again? Why now?

Kakashi held up his hands in submission. "It's okay, it's okay. I'll forgive you since you were… preoccupied." The sword thunked into the trunk beside Kakashi's head, some of the electricity emanating from it making his hair sand on end and searing one side of his mask.

"You won't. Say. A word."

"I never intended on it." Kakashi replied to the unspoken threat. "I did wonder if you wanted me to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid while you were gone though. I know you usually take that job."

Sasuke moved his hand away from his kunai pouch, still itching to send one flying at Kakashi's ever-grinning face. He's shoulders were still tensed, but Kakashi did normally keep his word. Maybe having him watch Naruto for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"… Catch?"

Kakashi slid his book back inside the volumous tan folds of his cloak and held out both palms before him. "None at all. Just doing you a favor." His eyelids lowered and his hands dropped to be stuffed into his pockets. "You need to be focused when you meet him."

Sasuke's fists clenched by his side. "Sure." He stared at the rough bark beneath his feet. "Until I come back from my… fight."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Not revenge?"

Sasuke didn't say a word. He wasn't actually sure what this was for anymore. He was strong, he was ready, and somehow, throughout all the bitter resentment he felt for Itachi, going after him now didn't have the venom it used to. It was… tasteless.

Kakashi gave him a steady look before shrugging quietly. "I'll tell him you say goodbye since you didn't give him a very good one." There was only a blur before he was gone, the branch he had been standing in shivering where it missed his weight.

Sasuke didn't move for a while, then hopped to the tree Kakashi had been standing in before gripping his leather-bound hilt and placing his fingers on the metal conductor strip that channeled his electricity and tugging harshly. A few chips of food flew away and sailed to the forest floor beneath him as the blade came free, silvery and sharp in the overcast light. A few drops of rain trailed down the blade and slid of the point before Sasuke sheathed it again.

What was he doing this for? It wasn't for the money, it wasn't for recognition, it wasn't for the village, and it wasn't for revenge. All it was, was a task.

Blue eyes flashed in his vision along with a wisp of blonde hair and the smell of sunshine and ramen. Running a hand through his bangs and smoothing them back to his scalp, Sasuke smirked at the irony of it all. Maybe he wasn't doing this for himself at all.

Naruto slurped up the last of his fourth bowl of noodles at Ichiraku's sitting back with a heavy sigh of contentedness. He patted his still flat stomach happily, listening to Sai's and Sakura's voices as they chatted beside him, Sai still finishing up his first bowl of miso while Sakura filled out paperwork on and off.

"God. Just up and leaves like that." She bit the tip of her pencil, looking distraught and Sai gave her a papery smile.

"He has tended to do that. I read a book that said that some people are like that, and I guess that Sasuke is one of those people." He said.

Naruto snapped his chopsticks, mood darkening slightly. He did just up and leave didn't he? Not even a full day after they came back from their last mission.

"He was called away on a mission." Naruto said and itched his bottom lip quietly, rememebering the feel of Sasuke's mouth over his, his arm slithering around his waist and pulling him against a lean, lithe body.

Sakura gave him a withering look. "Well, I know that of course, but even Lady Tsunade-sama didn't tell me about an upcoming mission like this!" She gave a huff, hooking her ankles around the bottom of her barstool and leaning backwards, stomach flexing to keep herself upright. "Heard it was long term though…" She muttered.

Sai seemed his indifferent, impassive self as he tipped the last of the miso broth from his bowl and set it down with a dull clink on the tarnished wood. "Guess that means we go on mission a person short for a while." He said.

Naruto felt something twist in his stomach. Missions without Sasuke. Just mission with him and Sai and Sakura. It kind of hurt. The missions with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were like breaths of fresh air, like Sasuke had never left and they'd always been doing this. The missions with the three of them and Sai was an accustomed thing, a remembrance of some sorts. But missing Sasuke was like starting all over again. That was something that definitely hurt.

"Sent off so suddenly…" Sakura pouted and leaned her head on her fist, bubblegum pink hair mashing to the side of her face.

Sai blinked and slid his bowl forward, taking out a sketch pad and beginning to scribble lightly. "Do you think it could be Itachi?"

Both Naruto and Sakura whipped their heads at him, shock written on their faces. A stand in waitress leaned over the counter and took Naruto's bowls into the back of the shop. Sai gave them both wide-eyed looks, clearly not understanding why they were so shaken. "Well, it seems like the only logical reason, right? Sent of so suddenly on a long-term mission and of all people sending Sasuke?"

Naruto's mind flew back to Sasuke's conversation with him that morning. 'It's an S-rank Criminal and only someone I can deal with.' Suddenly, the panic came flooding back into his system with the force of a tidal wave.

"They can't send him off to face Itachi on his own!" Sakura blubbered, distress mounting in her green eyes and Sai gave her a confused look. Sakura was now on the verge of hysterics."It's just not right! He's been a menace for years, and Sasuke could get hurt! He has no support, no back-up, no time to even tell us where he was going, and he could… he could d-"

"It's okay. He said he'd come back."

Sakura stopped, turning to Naruto and Sai gave him an odd look. Naruto gave Sakura a bright white smile of reassurance. "He promised he wouldn't leave again, and that means he can't die, right?" Somehow, Naruto felt that instead of reassuring Sakura he was somehow reassuring himself.

"Besides, even if we tried to now, we wouldn't be able to catch up with him now. Supposing Tsunade-sama allowed us." Sai piped in. He was still sending Naruto strange looks, but Sakura seemed to find this news something final and slumped down, her shoulders hunching as she picked up her dropped pencil and began to tap it against one cream cheek.

"Guess you're right…" She said, but she sounded so dejected and so down-trodden. Then she looked up and scrutinized Naruto. "Wait, where did you hear that from, Naruto?" She asked.

Naruto blinked at her and gave her a large overbright smile. "From Sasuke himself." He replied.

Sakura now looked miffed and Sai looked… thoughtful. Not always a good sign.

"Oh, so Sasuke only went to go see Naruto," Sakura griped and Naruto gulped as her pouting returned.

Sai gave him a sadistic look before pulling on his innocent, pasted on smile and remarking cheerfully, "That must mean Sasuke really likes you more that he likes us." He said.

Naruto's face began to heat and he pinched his thigh beneath the counter, images flooding his mind, Sasuke's lips, pressing up against him, the smell of mint-

Naruto stood up abruptly, startling everyone in the ramen shop including the waitress that had returned to try and take Sai's bowl away. "Uh-Um… I just realized I have to go home and do some… stuff…" Naruto burbled, shoving the words out of his mouth in only semi-coherent sentences. He backed up quickly, leaving a substantial amount of money on the table. They could keep the change.

"O-Oh…" Sakura stuttered, caught off guard and trying to pull herself out of her pouting mood to figure out what Naruto needed to do that was so urgent. Sai was sending Naruto knowing glances filled with a curiosity that set Naruto's nerves on edge.

"I'll see you guys later. Thanks for the ramen." Naruto had barely finished before he was pushing through the storefront flaps and heading onto the streets toward his apartement.

The thoughts were raiding him of his sanity. He felt angry and elated and lonely all at the same time. His best friend had just left after kissing him. And not in the accidental of friendly way. Naruto felt kind of betrayed in a way. Sasuke had the nerve to come, blurt out some silly love proclamation and use Naruto's confusion to kiss him, and then just leave on a long term mission.

Naruto's throat constricted. Long term could mean from three of four weeks to one of two years. Who knew when Sasuke would come back. Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets, then yelped as a raindrop slid off a nearby roof and trickled down the back of his shirt down his spine. He shivered, glad that the actually rain had stopped.

Would make travel easier for Sasuke.

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><p><strong>Part 2 of the 3-shot. Enjoy it. I don't make these often XD<strong>

**Ahh Kakashi. What a dickwad you are.**

**Sai too. You're the devil. And it's all my fault X3**

**Sometimes I can't believe I actually spout this stuff... I don't actually plan stories... just make a rough draft in my head and then Naruto and Sasuke start to take over, tell me I'm doing everything wrong and write it themselves... and then it turns out a crumpled mess like this that people actually LIKE. Imagine my surprise.**

**Little update... To any of you who know NaNoWriMo, I'm participating this year. Wish me luck, but it means I'll be inactive the whole month of November.**

**For those of you who don't know what the hell NanoWriMo is, it's a writing competition. You start on November 1st and write till the end of the month and the goal is to reach 50,000 words by that time. Tough as hell, and so much fun. JOIN. WE LOVE PEOPLE. (we swear we're not cannibals)**

**Song: Fidelity - Regina Spektor (I totally recommend her... her voice is so beautiful and rounded, and her songs are so simple, sweet and eye-catching)**

**... Tada?**


	3. Break My Own Fall

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -xox- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Suppose I never ever saw you_

_Suppose I never ever called_

_Suppose I kept on singing love songs,_

_Just to break,_

_My own fall…_

* * *

><p>Three months. Naruto sighed, his breath fogging up the window his nose was inches from. The warm rainy season of summer had faded into the briskness of fall, bringing with it a colder crispness to the air instead of the normal mugginess that usually hung over Konoha. Naruto pulled himself away from the window that looked out over the streets below his apartment building, stretching up his arms and arching his back, listening to the series of crackles and pops that emanating from his spine and shoulders. This past mission had been long and hard, nearly two weeks of fast paced hiking with a hostage in tow. And damn that guy had not been light.<p>

Naruto relaxed, looking around his apartment at the cloths strewn around. Not much had changed since he had last left. Maybe a glass or two out of place, his bed slightly rearranged from Naruto's messy bed sheet arrangement into a more carefully placed made-to-seem-like-nothing-was-disturbed style. Clearly the work of Kakashi.

It had been three months since he'd last seen Sasuke, and by now both Sakura and Sai were now assured that mentioning Sasuke was (once again) a touchy subject around Naruto. They may not know why (well, Sai might, but he didn't know any details), but even Sai was treading carefully around Sasuke's name, mainly around Naruto, but around Sakura as well. His sudden leaving and prolonged disappearance was leaving her grouchy and temperamental. Their teamwork was off-balance and Tsunade had reduced their missions to nothing but occasional long-term low-risk missions with plenty of downtime in between.

Truthfully, Naruto wished that Tsunade-baa-chan would give them _more _work. Sitting around waiting for news that never came was nerve wracking and Naruto was beginning to lose his temper more and more often.

With a loud exhale, Naruto flopped down on the bed, then winced, moving his jacket from beneath him where the zipper had dug into his back. He lay back silently, looking up at the chipping white paint of the ceiling, blue eyes half closed. He could smell more rain in the air and he looked out the window again just to see the first speckles of raindrops hit his windowpane. A series of shrieks resounded from young girls down below as they raced for cover from the steadily increasing water.

Naruto's lips pursed and he quietly looked away from the window, rolling on his side so that his back faced the window. It had been raining when Sasuke had left.

"It's okay." He whispered to himself. It sounded obnoxiously loud in the small apartment, but it was reassuring to hear something other than the beating of rain on the broken shutter in his kitchen. He sat up and pulled a smile onto his face, grinning wider when the smile hurt his cheeks and his eyes began to sting. "He's definitely okay. He's probably on his way home right now." Naruto let out a loud breath and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, letting the cool wood touch his feet.

His face began to burn unconsciously as he rubbed his bottom lip, cheeks turning bright tomato red. How the hell was he supposed to face Sasuke now? He wondered quickly. Not really like they could go back to the original teammate/best friend/archenemy-turned-rival relationship they had once had.

Naruto nearly jumped a foot in the air when three resounding knocks came from outside his door. Hope took flight like a bird and Naruto quickly squashed it down, squeezing it past the lump in his throat. Couldn't be news of Sasuke. He had thought that the last seven times someone had knocked while it had been raining, only to be disappointed each time. Naruto took a deep breath, counting to twelve before letting it out in a huff and patting his cheeks, trying to make any lingering redness disappear from his tan skin.

The knocks resounded again and Naruto grumbled a little before calling out: "Okay, okay! I hear ya!" He twisted the lock on his door and let the heavy wood swing open.

"Hey." Naruto was greeted by the sight of Sakura standing in front of his door, looking wet and a little tight strung, her bright pink hair pulled into a ponytail at the base of her neck. "I was called down to the hospital. Konohamaru had a problem with a cat…" Sakura sighed, her eyes closing briefly. "…Again." She looked up apologetically at Naruto. "I know I said we'd go out later and get Ichiraku's, but they're sort of short on hands down at the hospital…" She trailed off, wringing her hands in the worried fashion she did when there wasn't a poor pencil to chew to bits.

Naruto waved a hand at her. "Nah, it's fine. I was tired anyway." He replied, rubbing the back of his head and flashing his teeth at her. "No problem at all."

Sakura sighed and visibly relaxed a bit more before giving Naruto a critical look. "You doing okay?" She asked. It sounded slightly accusing coming from her in that way.

Naruto shrugged a little, just a subtle shift of his shoulders. "As best as can be expected." He replied, not much in the mood for talking. "You know how it is."

Sakura gave a heavy breath. "Boy do I ever." She replied, beginning to turn away. "I'll treat you tomorrow, 'kay?" She said. Naruto smiled, happy that he was still going to get a free bowl of ramen out of the deal.

"Fine by me!" He called as she began to jog down the hallway, keeping close the wall to avoid being hit by the rain. She waved at him over her shoulder and disappeared from sight.

Naruto let his smile slide away after a few seconds and closed the door, leaning back against it and looking at the ground, his hands mashed between his back and the unrelenting wood. He shook himself quickly, trying to lighten his mood. He didn't like being stuck in a bog like this, and he actually did want ramen. He must have some somewhere in the house…

Naruto meandered off towards the kitchen, moving to dig around in his cupboard for his depleted ramen stash. He pushed aside a box of tea that he hadn't touched for months and spotting what he was looking for. With a triumphant "Aha!" Naruto tugged it out.

"Fuck!" He yelped as his head hit the top of the cupboard and a loud thunk. He stood up, rubbing the bump with his free hand a looking at the ramen cup he was holding. "Damn…" It was vegetable, not miso or pork. His stomach grumbled at him, and Naruto gave it a glare.

"If you give me a second, I'll give you food." He chastised it and set the cup down.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Naruto groaned. "Goddammit Sakura, what do you need now?" He griped. Abandoning his ramen, Naruto headed for the door and swung it open to see a sheepish looking Sakura.

"Uh… yeah. I was wondering if you could fill out the mission report as well?" She asked, giving him an embarrassed expression. Naruto sighed and looked up at the ceiling, praying to whatever the hell was up there, even if it was just his neighbors.

"Sure, Sakura-chan." He said and leaned on the doorframe. "Think Tsunade baa-chan will mind if they're a bit late? I was gonna eat before I did anything else tonight."

Sakura gave him a thankful smile. "I'm sure that, knowing how you two get along, she'll swear at you, call you lazy, and accept it anyway." Sakura replied and turned back down the hallway green eyes a bit more relieved. "Thanks!" She called to him.

"No prob!" Naruto called right back. "Now leave me alone so I can eat." He said in a quieter tone when he thought she was out of hearing range. Sakura turned around on her heel to him and stuck her tongue out childishly, letting him know she had still heard despite his low voice. Naruto raised his shoulders and ducked back inside, closing the door and intent on finally eating his ramen.

_Knock, Knock, Knock._

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Naruto flung up his arms and reached for the door swinging it open and letting it slam into the opposite wall with a bang. "What now-"

He was cut off as a pair of lips hit his, harsh, demanding, and not at all Sakura. Naruto let out a muffled cry as teeth dug in to his lower lip and he tasted the salty tang of blood. He brought his hands up, pushing against a far too hard and tall chest so he could breath again, his lip stinging something fierce.

Gasping, Naruto ripped himself away and stared in shock at the familiar face that was glaring down at him, wet, haggard and breathless. Pale skin, water beaded on the surface, soggy obsidian black hair and eyes so black you could drown in their fathoms. Sasuke gave him a familiar enough looked smirk, white teeth flashing, eyes that were tired but still held cockiness, muscular arms folded over his chest.

The door slammed shut, Naruto breathing heavily behind it.

Hesitantly, Naruto closed his eyes and counted to three. He, almost worriedly, turned the knob and peeking outside with bated breath, fearful that Sasuke wouldn't be there when it opened.

It opened again to reveal a now very pissed off looking Sasuke who was leaning on one foot and giving Naruto an angry death glare, hair and clothing dripping water all over the floor. Naruto gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish, unable to say anything and Sasuke leaned on his opposite foot, ever impatient as Naruto's brain processed his presence.

He guessed he should have expected the fist that rammed into his jaw and sent him reeling backwards out of the doorway.

"You goddamn bastard!" Naruto shrieked and Sasuke ducked the second punch to his stomach, a block already up next to his ribs for the kick aimed at his still sore ribs. "Goddamn motherfucking no good asshole prick!" Naruto clipped Sasuke's cheekbone, twisting around and twirling into another kick aimed for Sasuke's neck. Sasuke winced as the force of Naruto's leg jarred his shoulder, which he had just relocated himself only a day ago and still hurt.

"I can't believe you would do something like that to me you bastard!" Naruto's attacks were losing their accuracy, his training slipping away in fury. Sasuke easily caught the hand that was trying and failing to come crashing down on his head. He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at Naruto.

"You done now?" He asked and Naruto shivered. The same rumble, the same twisting knot in his stomach. Sasuke's hand was cold on his wrist, and this close, Naruto could see the fading bruises and the tip of a cut just above the collar of Sasuke's cloak.

"Not even close." Naruto hissed, the hand not held by Sasuke's came up and fisted in Sasuke's shirt right below his chin. "You don't even understand how much I hate you right now."

Which was accompanied by an overly harsh bruising kiss. Anger, pain, and relief all mixed in between. Naruto pulled back, breathing hard once again and Sasuke blinked.

"And hating me involves this?" Sasuke asked sarcastically, never missing a chance to send a barbed word at Naruto, even under these circumstances. "If my welcome party was going to be like this, I would have left a whole lot sooner." Naruto's lip curled and he shook Sasuke, once, hard.

"Don't ever leave like that again." He growled and Sasuke released Naruto's wrist in favor of holding up his hands and giving Naruto the most mock innocent look he could.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

><p>It only took about five minutes of angry words and the occasional flying fist before Naruto's back was pressed to a wall, legs wrapped around Sasuke's hips to support himself, his fingers weaving through the thick black hair that was much coarser than it appeared. Sasuke's hands were sliding up the inside of Naruto's t-shirt over his ribs, feeling every dip of muscle, every cord of a scar, every patch of skin.<p>

Sasuke's mouth was almost as forceful as his words, demanding and unrelenting, but that didn't stop Naruto from curbing himself. He fought back tooth and nail, fingers digging into the base of Sasuke's hair, nails scraping down an already bare back. Everything was too hot and too tight, almost constricted.

Naruto's fingers dipped into the healing would on Sasuke's back, just beneath the shoulder blade and between the spine and bone, where ribs protected him. It was sure to leave a scar, but Naruto loved to hear the soft moan that was a cross between pain and pleasure that set him on edge. Sasuke had Naruto's shirt off, sinfully long finger working on the button of Naruto's pants as Naruto's hips rolled into Sasuke's.

With a frustrated growl, Sasuke's hands cupped under Naruto's butt, holding him up enough to carry him over to the bed and ungracefully drop him.

Naruto landed with an "oof" and Sasuke bent over him, glaring down at the frustrating pants and sliding his waist between Naruto's legs once again. Naruto felt a bit of his ego bruised at the idea of Sasuke topping first, but Naruto knew Sasuke, and he wouldn't bottom without a fight. Right now, all Naruto wanted was that ever cool skin against his, those calloused fingers all around him, those piercing black eyes trained on him and only him. No other focus, no more distractions.

And if Sakura knocked, she was going to have to damn well wait.

The pants came off, the boxers soon after and Sasuke was probing, feeling around and Naruto was panting, leaving marks on the tops of Sasuke's shoulders where his nails were. His back arched slightly when a sudden tightening in his stomach caught him by surprise. He glared at Sasuke who smirked in reply, that sideways quirk of his mouth that got to Naruto's heart more than his gut.

"Didn't think you'd find it that fast." Naruto muttered in self-defense which earned an even wider grin and a second rub that was much harder than it needed to be. Naruto swore lightly and pulled Sasuke down for a quick sloppy kiss.

There were no 'Are you ready?'s or "Is this okay?'s. They both knew what this was like; they knew each other well enough to know that neither would back out at this point. The real problem was getting the other to cooperate long enough to find a pace. Naruto, frustrated by Sasuke's leisurely, nearly sleepy pace, impatiently leaned in such a way that he was flipping them both over, him on top and straddling Sasuke's hips as he drove at a much faster pace.

Sasuke's answer was to concentrate on trapping Naruto's hips with his hands and trying to manhandle him into going at Sasuke's pace of choice.

The heat was nearly unbearable. Everything was too hot, every touch was like icicles skittering up Naruto's arm, and he knew his face was flushed, but that was okay, because Sasuke's pants were coming fast and heavy, thrusts becoming more eager and savage. Naruto's palm fisted on Sasuke's chest where it rested, his other hand bracing himself on his own thigh.

Then everything was all white, with black and red spots speckling the intensity, feeling a normally silent Sasuke groan and moan beneath him. The intense warmness inside him that he knew he'd get mad it Sasuke for later.

Naruto nearly sagged onto the bed, not even bothering with the covers ad just letting his legs stretch themselves out, arm slinging itself over Sasuke's stomach. He could feel every movement of the toned muscles, every intake of breath and outward release of air. It was relaxing in itself.

Sasuke rolled over, letting Naruto's elbow bend over the side of his waist as he buried his nose in the smell of sunlight and familiarness. Something he hadn't even felt missing slid into place, settling with a triumphant comfort that let Sasuke relax a lot more than he ever thought he would. Naruto's breathing was already slowing and evening, and he thought he heard a murmured "'ll do Sak'ra's paperwork tomm'rrow," and smiled quietly.

"I'm home."

* * *

><p><strong>HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (my favorite holiday) so excited...<strong>

**anyway...**

**Tada! One finished three-shot. BE PROUD OF ME. I HAVE ISSUES WITH FINISHING THINGS.**

**So. Sasuke finally came back after leaving like the dick-head he is. Took long enough. Now there's no more depressy Naruto and worried Sakura (who pisses me off) and lonely-like confused Sasuke. So relieved. Tension on the team is hard to write and makes me tense myself...**

**Rating went up. For excessive swearing and sex, even though I didn't make it as graphic as I tend to do. Wanted this to focus on FEELINGS. not SEX. even though everybody loves a good lemon or two...**

**Unless you are a hard-core prude... which I'm obviously not.**

**Update about Updates (heehee): I'm in NaNoWriMo this year, so the whole month of November, NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT ANYTHING FROM ME. All of my attention will be damn focused on some story I'm DETERMINED to finish. Even though I can't tell which story outline I'm going to use and NaNoWriMo starts in... holy shit 3 days.**

**So wish me luck, and I hope you enjoyed the 3-shot!**

**Song: Fidelity- Regina Spektor**

**Story: by me**

**Characters: Naruto - Masashi Kishimoto**

**THE END**


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